The expansion of the Ranenagar vehicular underpass on the Mumbai–Agra highway in Nashik has reached 90% completion, with two additional service road lanes expected to open to motorists by mid-November, according to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials.
The new lanes are currently undergoing testing and will be opened once traffic police approve the diversion of vehicles onto the upgraded stretch. Meanwhile, drilling for an additional tunnel at the nearby Indiranagar vehicular underpass is scheduled to begin around mid-November, with the project targeted for completion by the end of March.
Construction of the additional lanes at Ranenagar began in June 2025 to address persistent congestion caused by the rapid growth of residential and commercial developments along the highway. The underpass experiences heavy traffic throughout the day, creating difficulties for commuters using the adjoining service roads.
Previously, vehicles travelling straight along the parallel service roads often encountered bottlenecks caused by motorists crossing through the underpass or merging from roads near Ranenagar Chowk. This frequently disrupted traffic movement and increased travel delays.
To ease the congestion, the NHAI decided to extend the existing underpass structure and construct two dedicated service road lanes above it. Once operational, the elevated lanes will enable vehicles travelling between Pathardi Phata and Indiranagar to bypass the traffic generated by crossing and merging movements.
Officials said that with most of the structural work completed, the project has entered its final testing and safety assessment stage. The lanes will be opened after the necessary clearances are secured from the traffic police.
Following the anticipated opening in November, the NHAI will shift its attention to the Indiranagar vehicular underpass. The proposed additional tunnel is intended to improve traffic flow for vehicles approaching from the Govindnagar side.
The two projects are expected to address key traffic bottlenecks along the Mumbai–Agra highway in Nashik, improve connectivity between adjoining neighbourhoods and provide smoother movement for daily commuters.
Source: Economic Times
